Great Monkey, Wild Horse
by Alex Ultra
Summary: When someone brings other worlds into Goku's story, things can get interesting.  X-over w DragonBall and Ranma one-half  Rated for possible cursing.
1. Intervention

       Sorry, I don't own it.  And I barely own my own characters, I have given them a license to live, that way I can't be to blame when they cause trouble!  ;)

      Okay, this story begins somewhere near the middle of the first Piccolo saga of Dragonball.  If you don't recognize the part right away, then you probably didn't see it, but you should get the idea pretty quickly anyway.  If you don't... well... hehe.  ;)

      *Quick note: As I said in my bio, our family computer is kaput.  I finally managed to find a place to upload from, but the formats don't exactly match between the computer I write on and this one, so I only have the obvious bold and italics here.  When I finally get the regular computer back, I will replace this here with the original, but that could take a while.  -_-+*

      Well, that's it, now on with the story.

      ~~~~~~***   INTERVENTION   ***~~~~~~

      A deathly wind blew through the valley as the results of the latest happening were revealed.

      The only sound, the sole, solitary sound in the eerie silence of the valley, was the lonely clanking of a falling rice-cooker.

      Master Roshi, the Turtle-Hermit, gasped in surprise and lost hope.  "AAAHHH!!!  I MISSED!!!"

      The Demon King Piccolo gasped a few lingering gasps from his experience with the Evil Containment Wave technique.  Standing in triumph, he laughed in an insane manner.  "AHHAHAHA!!  HAHAHAAA!!  I DID IT!  THE EVIL CONTAINMENT WAVE HAS BEEN DEFEATED!  HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

      Master Roshi summoned the last bit of his strength to try to dampen the Demon's hopes.  "B-but don't think you've... won.  We humans, we have... a spirit.  An indomitable spirit...  And no matter what... no matter how bad it gets... we... will... survive..."

      **Plump.**

      Piccolo regarded the dead man gruffly.  "Feh, the last mutterings of a senile old man at his death.  Oh well, the point is that you're dead and I'm not."  'That was close, I never knew there was a man alive who knew the Evil Containment Wave.  Oh well, now he's dead too and there's no one left to defy me.  And that's not all.' Motioning to the spot in the ground where the other five Dragonballs were stored, he pointed one finger upward and they popped out.

      **BLEAHHH!!!**

      Spitting out the last two pieces to the puzzle, he united the seven balls on the ground and proceeded to call forth the dragon.

      But Tien had other plans.

      {Chaotzu!  Can you hear me?}

      {Tien?}

      {Good, listen, Master Roshi hit me with some kind of sleeping potion so I can barely keep my eyes open right now.  You have to stop him.}

      {Me?  But how?}

      {Listen.  Just make your wish before he does!  Just yell out: I want the Demon King Piccolo destroyed!  Okay?}

      {Yeah.  I got it.  I will.}

      "I wish..."

      Chaotzu was just running from his place in the outcropping of rocks as Piccolo started his wish.  'Here I go...'

      {NO!!  DON'T DO IT!!!}

      "for my..."

      The surprise of hearing another voice in his head besides Tien's prevented him from saying another word.  {H-huh?}

      {I said don't do it!  Hide!}

      {But!}

      {Listen!  He's too fast, he'd kill you before you could say anything!  So just lay low, trust me!}

      "youth to be..."

      Finding time to have run out anyway, Chaotzu ducked beneath the rocks again, deciding that was the only remaining course of action.

      "RESTORED!  Back to when..."

      {Who is this?}

      {You'll see, soon enough...}

      {Chaotzu!  Why did you stop?}

      {Tien!  Someone told me to stop!  They said... that I wouldn't be fast enough... that he would kill me... before I could finish.}

      {That's correct.}

      {Who are you?}

      {Does it matter right now?}

      "I was most overflowing with power!!!"

      "This can be done easily." With a bright flash, the Dragon fulfilled the requirements of the wish, and Piccolo's body began to bulge.

      "Nnngh... augh... hahah...  HAHAHA!!!  THIS IS GREAT!  I AM OVERFLOWING WITH POWER!!  AHAHAHA!!!" Calming immediately, he smiled in the direction of the dragon.

      "Your wish is granted.  Fare well."

      "Hehehe... sorry dragon.  But there's a change this time." Calling up energy to his mouth, he called out a beam of energy that blasted forth straight at the scaly one.

      **KSHEEW!  K-BOOM!!!!**

      **Plop. **The Dragon's disembodied arm fell at the feet of his killer, and soon disappeared.

      "Hehehe... now there is no way for one to challenge my power."  'I'm free yet again.'  "HAHAHA!!  THIS FEELS GOOD!!!" Flexing his muscles, Piccolo tested his newly won youth.

      'Feh, there is no longer any reason to stay here.' Rising slowly to his airship, he formulated the next part of his plan.  'And now to the King's castle...'

      As the airship took off, gaining on the King's castle, those on the ground tried to come to grips with what had happened.

      Tien laid with his head against the ground as Chaotzu crawled to where Master Roshi laid.  "M-master Roshi..."

      The sound of something coming in contact with the ground caught his attention.  Turning around, he saw her.

      She was a girl about Bulma's age, in her late teens.  And she had blue eyes and a hair style to match.  Of course, if her hair wasn't so black, they might have been twins.

      "Don't worry, it's not quite as bad as it seems."

      "H-huh?  Who are you?"

      The strange girl frowned slightly.  "What?  You don't recognize my voice?"

      "It's not that... I just..."

      "Oh right.  You don't know my name.  Well, you can call me Alex.  That's what everyone else calls me, after all." She smiled as she waved the matter off.  "But what I told you is totally correct, trust me."

      "W-what do you mean?"

      "What I mean is, if you had tried to stop him, you would have gotten as far as 'Pic...!' and he would have killed you."

      Chaotzu looked frightened for a moment, then sad.  After a moment, he looked angrily into her face.  "I wish you hadn't stopped me!"

      "Huh?" Blinking, Alex regarded the little white kid curiously.  "Why?"

      "Because!  I let Tien down!  He was counting on me, and I chickened out!"

      Alex looked over at Tien, then back to Chaotzu.  "No, kid.  That's not it for you, trust me, it's better this way." She pointed to the unconscious man on the ground.  "And as for him, he'll feel a lot better knowing you're still alive."

      Chaotzu knew she was right, but that didn't change the fact.  He had never been a great fighter like Tien... but he never let his friend down.  He had never chickened out before...

      "And don't think of it as chickening out.  It wasn't fear that stopped you, I stopped you.  And the only change that came of it is that you're still here.  I didn't want to see you die for no reason."

      "B-but..."

      "No, listen.  I have an idea, an idea that just might allow you to help in the coming battle." Closing her eyes, she smiled contemplatively.  "Yes, it could be very helpful..."'

~~ At That Time ~~

      Goku and Yajirobe were nearing Korin's tower when the blips disappeared on the Dragon Radar.

      "Hey, the sky became light again.  Weird, I think that happened about three years ago too..."

      'The Dragonballs' signals are gone!  That means that he did make a wish... but what would a strong guy like that wish for?'

      The jet-car they were riding in came in for a landing near an Indian-style tent.  "Hey!  We're here, this is the place, right?"

      "Yeah, this is it..." Goku's tired voice came out in a rasping drawl.

      As they got out and looked around, they were spotted by a young boy in the trees.  "Hey!  It's Goku!  You're back!"

      "Upa..!  It's good to see you..!"

      "Hey daddy!  Lookit!  Goku's back!"

      A tall, muscular man came out of the trees and smiled upon seeing the tailed boy.  "Oh!  Goku!  You're back!"

      As this went on, Yajirobe looked around.  'Is that the tower Goku was talking about?  Geeze, it's tall...'

      "Oh!  Goku!  You're hurt!"

      "Yeah.. I got beat up real bad.."

~~

      As Goku tells the tale of Piccolo, Piccolo writes another tale of betrayal and evil...

      In other words, he throws the three flunkies; Pilaf and his cronies, out of his ship, rather than giving them the reward they had been seeking.

      Picking her head out of the ground, Mai sighed numbly.  "Lord Pilaf... Are we really that pathetic?"

      "Shut up Mai!"

~~ Enough of that... ~~

      "Oh, I see.  So he must have been very strong to have defeated you, Goku..."

      "Yeah...  That's why I was coming here, to see if Master Korin would train me again..."

      "But you'll never make it up the tower with those injuries!"

      Goku smiled.  "Oh, that's okay...  Yajirobe will take me up..!"

      "WHAT?!"

      "If anyone can do it...  It's Yajirobe..."

      "Now why would I do a stupid thing like that, huh!?"

      Goku smiled, he knew the way to get Yajirobe's cooperation.  Everything he did was for the food.  "The food's at the top of the pole..."

      "The-..."

      "Yeah, it's the Senzu bean.  Holy food."

      "You better not be making this up!"

      "I'm not..!"

      Yajirobe grumped as he looked at the pole.  "Well, if that's the only way...  Sure is a tall pole though..." As he slung Goku over his shoulder, he grumped aloud.  "Hang on tight, I'm not taking responsibility if you fall..." Grumbling incoherently, he readied to tackle the stone tower.

      "Here, let me give you a hand..."

      "Huh?  Uh, I hope you know what you're doing..." As the tall, muscle-bound man picked the two of them up into the air, Yajirobe prepared to be launched.

      "Hey, thanks..!"

      "Nnn... YEAAAAHH!!"

      "Whoa!" Yajirobe found the two of them sailing through the sky, and then grabbed onto the tower when they reached the peak of their flight.

      Looking up, he realized that he still couldn't see the top.  "Hey!  What gives!  We came all this way and I still can't even see the top?"

      "It's a very tall tower..!  But don't worry, you can make it..."

      "Yeah well, they better have that food you were talking about..." Yajirobe began his day long climb.

~~ At That Time ~~

      "So, Chaotzu, what do you want to do now?"

      Chaotzu looked at Tien's motionless form.  "How long will he be asleep?"

      "Hmm?  Uh, I don't know for sure." Looking at him a bit more closely, she regarded him curiously, crouching down to get a better look.  "He really could wake up any time now..."

      "Nngh..." Tien began to stir slightly just as Chaotzu got near enough to have to back off in surprise.

      "Tien?  Are you okay?"

      Tien sighed loudly as he rolled onto his back.  "Ohhhh...  I'll be okay in a while... but Chaotzu... we don't stand a chance against him... do we?"

      "No you don't, not like this.  So, Tienshinhan... what do you plan to do now?"

      Tien sat on the ground for a while, contemplating his fate.  'Our only chance now... is the Evil Containment Wave.'

      {Works for me.}

      "Huh?"

      Alex winked his way, giving him confirmation that it had been her voice in his head.  "Just don't kill yourself, okay?"

      Tien blinked once... twice... and then closed his eyes completely as the sleeping effect came back in full force.

      Smiling, Alex stood tall again.  "Well, shall we go?"

      "But go where?  And we shouldn't just leave Tien or Master Roshi here!"

      "Tien will wake up in a while, and he will take care of Master Roshi.  But what I have to teach you... it isn't easy, and you're going to need all the time you can get.  But before we get on with it... do you accept?"

      Chaotzu looked at his fallen friend (even though he was only asleep, he still looked fallen), and then at his fallen master.  How could he just stand back and not do anything?  He had to do something...  "Yes.  I will do whatever it takes, anything I can, to help fight Piccolo."

      Smiling, Alex nodded.  "Alright kid.  Then let's go."

      Nodding, Chaotzu floated up into the air, following the girl, who apparently also knew the hovering technique.

~~ It is now deep in the night-time ~~

      "Geeze... we've been climbing all this time and I still can't see the top!  This is some kind of trick, isn't it?  Come on, admit it!"

      "No trick... we're almost there..."

      "You said that an hour ago!" Looking down, Yajirobe frowned.  'And it's too scary to go down too... aw man!  I guess I'll just have to keep going up...  Why did I take this job anyway?'

~~

      Piccolo landed outside the gates to King's palace.  "So this is home... not bad."

      Walking down the walkway, he met the gate guard.  "Hey, who are you?"  Shaking his head, he decided it mattered little.  "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed past here without permission from the King."

      With a strike to the man's neck, he killed the guard, exclaiming "I am the King!"

      "Ahh!!" The other guard cringed in fear for his life as he tried to fill the intruder full of lead.  Failing that, he trembled in fear as Piccolo instant-fricasseed him with his eye-beams.

      Walking into the courtyard, he encountered a large number of armed guards, which were no trouble to take down or kill, whichever came first.

      Coming up on the inner courtyard, he encountered an unarmed man standing confidently in the middle of a large area.  He had his arms crossed and was smiling toward the green demon-man.  "Sorry, but I don't think I feel like letting you get any farther."

      "Oh look, a black sheep has come to the slaughter.  Well, I assure you, your death will be totally in vain."

      Another man stepped out from behind a bush.  "Oh, but we haven't even gotten to fight yet!"

      "Yeah, and we came all this way to see you..." Another man came from behind a large vase in the corner.

      As the man in the middle snapped his fingers, another four equally confident men practically came out of the woodwork and took their places beside him.  "You see, we came here looking for a good fight.  Honestly, we couldn't care less about the King or his Palace, but fighting a demon is something not everyone can brag about..."

      Smiling confidently, Piccolo chuckled.  "I see.  Well then, why don't I show you why you don't stand a chance?  HNNNN!!!" Opening his eyes wide, he launched a pair of eye-blasts at the closest man to him, going for the kill.

      But it wasn't meant to be, as he jumped away at the last second, and came down with his food against Piccolo's head.

      Moving his head back into its forward position, he frowned.  "I see.  You aren't like the rest of these idiots around here.  You actually possess slight skill and strength...  No matter."

      Without warning, Piccolo punched the first man in the face, only to receive another kick to his own face, and then another to the back of his head.

      And before he knew it, he was actually dodging the hits thrown at him by seven different humans!  He could have stood still and taken it all in stride, but like a hundred mosquitoes, they got annoying after a few hits.

      Surging his strength into one arm, he blasted forth his energy in a wave of air that knocked the seven men back against a wall.  "Augh..."

      "HYAAA!!" A hit from behind struck against his head as a slightly higher-pitched voice came out of hiding.

      As he recovered from his hit, he turned around to see his newest attacker.  "A woman dares to face me?"

      "Hey, who says it matters?  I'm facing you, man or woman." A girl in red hair set up in a pig-tail with blue eyes took a wispy pose across from him, practically daring him to attack.

      Crossing his arms, he stuck his nose into the air.  "Feh, I don't have time for this.  I have a world to take over." When he was done saying this, his neck bulged a bit and he threw his head back.

      As the girl cringed, Piccolo leaned forward and spit out a large egg.  But he wasn't done yet.  He soon repeated the process and made another egg.

      After a few seconds or so, two large monsters popped out of the eggs.  One was an obese creature with wide-set eyes and a perpetual smile.  The other was a tall twig of a monster with dangerous-looking knife-like protrusions all over his body, making a kind of full-body armor.

      "I shall call you 'Drum' and 'Striker'.  Now take care of these distractions as I take the throne of the world."

      "Hey!  Get ba-ACK!" The girl barely managed to dodge that blade-strike with her head still connected to her neck.  "Hey!  That wasn't nice!  Whoa!"

      "HYEAA!!" Bam!  One of the male fighters landed a hit on Drum's head, which had little effect until another of them added his own kick to it, knocking the giant off balance for a moment.

      "Oh, I'm going to enjoy killing you humans...  HWOARG!!!  HYAAAG!!!" Shouting loud battle-cries he threw heavy-set hits at each of them, knocking them down one-by-one.

      "Hey Drum, leave this one to me... she interests me."

      "Aw shut up!" The girl dodged several deadly swings as she backed away from the creature.  'Shoot, how am I going to do this?'

      "HYAAA!!" **Crash! **More hits connected with the larger monster as the skinnier one was led out of the area by the retreating girl.

      A large boulder flew through the air and hit Drum on the back of the head.  **Crash!**

      But the behemoth barely noticed.  "Oh, please!  You're tickling me!"

      The tallest man gasped in surprise.  He just saw a meter-wide boulder shatter against that monster's head and he said it tickled!!!  'This could be a problem...'

      Narrowing his eyes, he lowered his tone to a venomous level.  "Now playtime is over..."

      Before their eyes, the giant monster rushed after the nearest of them and put his hand through a wall!  Without losing his smile, he spotted the still moving man and launched another punch with his free hand.

      One down, six to go.

      **Bam!**  He took the hit in the shoulder, and used it to swing around to hit the hitter in, and through the stomach.

      **Whish!  Crack!**  Another man missed a kick, and received a neck-breaking blow for his trouble.

      "YYYEAAAA!!!!!" A boulder flew through the air, and was caught by the target.  It was then thrown at another fighter's head.  It missed, but the smaller stone Drum had kicked up didn't.

      "MONSTER!!  **GAAAHHH!!!**" Another of them found their neck bound in the creature's hand, and he couldn't breathe.

      "Uh...?" Losing his resolve, the sixth man stood unsurely as he received a blow to his head.  Drum had swung the previous man by the neck and used his foot to hit his next victim into next week.

      Dropping his make-shift weapon, he turned slowly around looking for survivors.  He had counted six, but if any ran away, or joined the fight, he wouldn't have noticed.

      He found the last man begging for his life.  "Please!?  Don't kill me!  I can join King Piccolo's side!  Please?  I can fight for him!"

      Drum crossed his arms.  He had nothing to fear from this human.  "And what makes you think my master would want anything to do with one so weak as you?"

      "I don't know!  But please!?  At least allow me to ask him in person?" He was still begging for his life when Drum approached him.

      Drum looked down on the man, and then sneered.  "Fine.  I will bring you to the master.  But if you waste his time, I will kill you instantly." He picked the man up by the waist and carried him down the hall, following the way his master had gone.

~~

      Striker was having a bit more trouble.  This one was fast, and he was having trouble predicting her moves.

      And the girl was having similar trouble.  'Great, now how do I stop those blades?' Looking down, she spotted a length of pipe sticking out of the ground.  It looked to be some kind of gas-pipe that was up-turned recently, and a good section of it was still underground.

      Hopping over to it, she pulled on it with all her might.

      **Ssskhrrrraaaa****... TING!**

      Striker fell over as a good fifteen meters of ground suddenly up-lifted beneath him.  "What?"

      A bit of a drop of sweat formed on the girl's forehead when she saw what she had pulled out of the ground.  'Oh great, look at it.  I guess it was still in the ground, huh?'

      Now Striker looked annoyed... well, more annoyed.  "Rrrrgh...  Stupid human!  Die!!!"

      'Why is it that everyone wants to kill me?' The girl blocked with her make-shift staff (which was a whole lot longer than she had bargained for).

      **SHHINGG!!**

      But found it a whole lot lighter as the monster's blade cut right through it like a lawnmower through grass.

      "...  Oh shoot..."

      "EEYEAAAHHH!!!" The creature made a down-slice for her head, but she dodged nimbly away, using the tip of her staff to hit him between blades and knocking him away just a bit.

      "Stupid human!  Just DIE!!"

      "Sorry, I never listen to that one..." Each time she dodged, she struck with the tip of her now-a-meter-and-a-half long steel pipe.

      **Smack!**

      A hit to the head saw Striker hitting the ground and nursing a bump where the pipe hit him, having to reach his fingers between the blades there in order to reach it.

      Spinning the pipe around, the girl took a defensive stance with renewed confidence.  "Hey, you know what?  Your momma drinks swamp-water!"

      Striker was suddenly confused.  "What's a momma?"

      "... Uh?"

      "Are you trying to anger me?"

      "... Un?"

      "Because if you are, you needn't bother, I'm already angry."

      The girl braced for imminent attack, but was surprised when none came.

      "YEEIKES!!!" A white-hot blast of energy erupted from the monster's mouth and nearly singed the girl's pig-tail as she jumped into the air.

      "Hehe..." Striker launched himself after the girl, expecting an easier win with the earth-bound human stuck in the air.

      What he didn't know was that Anything Goes specializes in mid-air combat.

      "HEY!  You could put an eye out with those things!"

      "Rrrgh!  I'm trying to put your HEAD out!"

      **Vish****!  Swatch!  Sha-sha-sha-sha-sha!!!**

      Each swing was either dodged, or parried (not blocked) as Striker's opponent seemed to have the advantage of speed.

      **Tap.  Tap.**

      As they landed, it was clear what each fighter was thinking.  Striker was vehemently and royally P-O'd, while the girl was as confident as ever.

      "Just DIE!  You pathetic human female!!!"

      Now it was the girl's turn to be angry.  Turning around, she used the staff to cut down a nearby tree, which she then grabbed with both hands.  "Cut out THE..." Whoosh. "HUMAN **CRACKS!!!**" **CRASH!!!!!**

      As Striker stood there, supported by the remnants of a tree almost as wide as he was tall, his dizziness was obvious.

      "And just to be thorough..." Bringing one hand back, she charged it with white energy of her own.  "MOKO TAKABISHA!!!"  As she brought her fist forward, a ball of energy bigger than she was shot forth and blasted the area with enough force to level a building.

      It was just enough to finish the creature, sending him to Otherworld in one loud shriek.

~~

      Piccolo noticed the loss of his child, and made a mental note.  'Remember to personally kill the one who killed Striker.'

      "I suppose extra hands couldn't hurt.  It's not like I'm really needed to do everything anyway..."

      "Oh thank you sir!  What is it you wish for me to do first!?"

      "First... prove you are worth my time.  Show that you will not be stopped by one of these pathetic human weapons."

      "What, like this?" He produced a hand-gun and shot his hand, making a show of having caught the bullet without barely having moved his hand.

      Grunting, he nodded to Drum.  "Acceptable.  Put him on guard-duty.  And if you see that girl you said Striker was fighting, I want you to kill her immediately."

      "Yes, master."

      Sighing, Piccolo turned to more important matters.  "Well, King.  How shall we do this?"

      King felt uncomfortable in front of the camera.  He knew what he was supposed to say, but he really didn't like having to say it.

      "I am ready..."

~~ In other parts of the world ~~

      Tien had finished his training with the Evil Containment Wave and was now heading in the direction he had seen Piccolo's ship head.

      Goku drank the Super Holy Water, increasing his strength dramatically while nearly killing him.

      Alex and Chaotzu completed their training, but the purpose to this training is still held secret.  Even Tien couldn't get Chaotzu to tell him what it was he was training for.

      And finally, the girl known as Ranma Saotome started on her way back toward King's palace.

      Things are about to get interesting.

      ~~~~~~***   End of Chapter 1   ***~~~~~~

      Well, that's how that one goes.  More of the story is revealed with time, as goes with my typical style.  Don't fret, as it will make sense as it goes.  And no, Ranma isn't weaker, s/he's just... holding back a bit.  ;)

      I'm gonna start on the next chappy now, so you can go ahead and review, kay?

      LATER


	2. Lost Hours

                To fill in the missing parts.  This chapter will start primarily by telling what happened during those hours that were lost in the previous chapter.

                Disclaimer: Sorry, I still don't own it.  Don't own Dragonball, that belongs to Akira Toriyama.  And I don't own Ranma 1/2, as that belongs to the super-great Rumiko Takahashi.  I do own MY characters (to a degree), but take no responsibility when they break something (like my house... \_/).

                ~~~~~~***   LOST HOURS   ***~~~~~~

                "Are you ready, Chaotzu?"

                "I'm ready..." Chaotzu was wrapped up in chains and standing stock still.  He didn't really understand what this training was supposed to do, but he had decided he could fight through it (he had been assured it wouldn't kill him...).

                Alex nodded solemnly as she stood across from the little white kid.

                Chaotzu braced for the worst.

                _...kkkrakkle..._

A short burst of electrical energy came in contact with the chains, sending Chaotzu into involuntary convulsions.

                "Ah!  Yeee!  Ow!  *Huff Huff*"

                "Okay.  Stage one finished.  Now comes stage two."

                "Huh?"

                _Krakkle... SNAP!_

                "AAHH!  Ow!"

                "We're going to at this for quite a while now... don't worry, it _is_ leading somewhere..."

                "Ha!  Okay!  But, um... where is all that eee-eel-eck-trr..."

                "Electricity?  Where is it coming from?" Chaotzu nodded his head.

                "Well, let me show you before we move on, okay?" Chaotzu nodded, anything to give his lungs time to get oxygen back to his brain.

                Smiling, Alex put her gaze downward as she floated slowly into the air.  As she did, the wind started picking up, swaying the forest trees to and fro.

                She then opened her eyes and looked into the clear blue sky, seeming as if some kind of angel.

                **KA-RACK!!  HWWWRUMMMBLEE--**

                A HUGE bolt of lightning seemed to come out of nowhere, blasting a small crater in the ground and engulfing the teen in its white light.

                Still, she was there.  Hovering motionlessly in the air.  Still staring blankly into the sky.

                Smirking, she spoke in a slightly restrained voice.  "And now... I'll show you."

                "H-huh?"

~~

                "YEAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!"

                The green blast of the Evil Containment Wave flew through the air, spiralling toward an electric rice cooker.

                "-AAAHHHHH!!!!!  NYAA!!" Surging a final burst of power, Tien motioned for the head of the wave to land inside the rice cooker, which then closed in the vacuum of energy.  He didn't even need anyone to close it for him.

                **Flump.**  Tired, Tienshinhan fell face-first to the ground.

                "Hehe.. hehe, I did it...  I mastered the... Evil Containment Wave..." Satisfied with the results, he decided the next step was to confront Piccolo himself, and to defeat him.

                Of course, it would help if he waited until he regained his strength.

                "Zzzzzzz....."

                The owls looked at the sleeping man under the light of the Moon.  O.O

~~

                "**Now, Son Goku.  If you accept, I will allow you to drink from the Super Holy Water.  If you survive the trial of this potion, then it will grant you strength.  Not the strength of its own, but strength from deep within you.**" A deep, tired voice rang out in the darkness of the cave.  The source was the darkness itself.

                Literally.

                "I accept.  If this will help me fight Piccolo, then I accept."

                Yajirobe stopped Goku. "Hey, wait a minute Goku.  Let me taste this before you take it..."  Dipping one finger into the dark liquid, he put it in his mouth with the look of a professional taste-tester.

                "YEEEEEEAAAHHH!!!  AHHH!!  AHH!!  PFTHBTBTBTBT!!  Haah, haah, haah...  No way man!  Do it Goku!  It's terrible!!!" Yajirobe looked as if he had just tasted the world's worst-tasting poison (A/N: Close, but not quite... O.o  THERE'S THEM OWLS AGAIN!!!  Oh, wait.  That was me... ^.^).

                "Geeze Yajirobe!  Don't scare me like that!  I don't wanna chicken out!" Goku was chiding the mountain boy for what he percieved to be a joke.

                "I'm not Jokin about this Goku!  That stuff is terrible!"

                Goku looked into the cup with a determined gleam.  "Well, I have no choice.  If this is it, then this is it." Closing his eyes, he chugged the entire glass in one gulp.

                For a moment nothing happened.

                "YAAAAAA!!!!!!  AHH!  AHH!!  _HAAAHAHAAAAA!!!!_" Writhing in pain, Goku fell to the ground.

                Yajirobe looked to the face in the darkness, known simply as 'Darkness'.  "So how long is this supposed to last?"

                Darkness 'hmm'd in thought.  "I'm not really sure.  Most who try the water don't even last this long.  There are a few, however, that last many hours before finally dying.  So there's no telling really."

                Yajirobe didn't exactly feel comforted by this, so he just sat to wait to see what would happen.  'Oh well, it was his choice.  May as well stick around to bury him...'

~~

                The girl known as Ranma Saotome was making her way back to the palace of the King of the World.  'That chick said I could get a real fight here.  But I have yet to see a real opponent.  But... if those monster-things were just the kids of that first one, then he must be stronger than them.  Okay, mister Demon-King, get ready for Ranma!  Killer of Gods!' Blinking at her nickname, she decided to re-name that.  'Okay, then I'm Ranma!  Half-Killer of a demi-god!  Crap, that sounds terrible, even in my head!'

                Always one to look and sound cool, Ranma decided to sit down and think of a better nickname.

~~

                Still smirking, Alex curled into a ball.  "Now, you, and you alone, will see..." 'After all, I'm not against showing off from time to time...'

                Laughing a reserved chuckle, she expanded, and with her, came a milky-white aura.  Its white-hot power flowed through, and into the air.  Like a kaleidoscope of just one color, it seethed and flowed around, from, and into her as if a part of her.

                Closing her grip, she tightened the aura, and with it, her power changed ever so slightly.  It took on a slightly yellowish look.

                **Rrrrhummmbllleee...**

                Accross the landscape, a rumbling was heard.  And with it, several bursts of lightning coursed through the air, like a cloudless thunder-storm.

                The air was empty, filling in only with the increasingly powerful blasts of arcing electricity.

                The girl's voice came in an echo, giving it an almost... surreal feel. "You see... it comes from me."

                Pointing her fingers in a calm gesture down toward the ground, she stretched out again.  "Ha!"

                Immediately, a whole bunch of bolts of lightning coursed back to her, and surrounded her in an invisible sphere of energy.  After a few moments, the lights died down, and she was left there, looking as if nothing had happened.

                **Tap.**

                When she landed, she looked back at Chaotzu.  "But... this will stay here.  I cannot fight here.  This is not my place, I cannot use my hand here."

                Chaotzu came out of his cringing frenzy (as one of the larger bolts of white-hot electricity came within a meter of him) and looked calmly at his new teacher.  "So instead, you're teaching me so that _I_ can fight... because you aren't allowed."

                Alex smiled.  "Yes.  But not just you... my hand extends much farther than you know." Her smile changed, it wasn't dark, or even serious at all anymore.  Now it was sweet and innocent.  "Now why don't we get back to your training, huh?"

                "Uh..." Blinking twice quickly, Chaotzu was beginning to give this second-thoughts.  "I... Are you sure this won't kill me?"

                "Oh!  Chaotzu!  Please, give me some credit!  I know your limits."

                Chaotzu wanted to ask how she knew his limits if they had never met before, but thought better of it.  "Alright, I'm ready."

                "Okay, then let's get going..."

                **Chak-ka-rack!**

                "AAAAHHHH!!!!" High-pitched shouting was dampened out by the trees of the forest as Chaotzu endured his training...  But with who, or what, was he training?

~~

                "...and so... my seat as king of the world has been contested, and taken.  From this moment on, though it pains me to say it... the King of the world shall be the Great Demon King Piccolo..." The former King of the world suddenly took a panicked, angry look as he shouted into the camera.  "**BUT WITH HIM AS KING THE WORLD WILL BE RUINED!!  SOMEONE!!  PLEASE!!  TAKE HIM DOWN!!**"

                Piccolo grabbed the former King by the neck and lifted him into the air.  "I thought I told you not to improvise.  You don't want to die yet, do you?"  Turning around to face into the camera, he adressed the world.  "Now... Citizens of the world, I am King Piccolo, your new Monarch."

~~

                "Of course!  He's at the King's Castle!!" Tien blasted off toward the castle in question, not thinking twice about giving his own life to get back at that monster.

~~

                "Ranma the Killer of _a_ God?  No, how about, Ranma!  The Phoenix Slayer!  Yeah!  That sounds good!  Ha!  I'm such a genius!" Standing proudly, the redhead bounded off toward the castle in question.

~~

                Goku was overjoyed.  "Wow!  Look at the size of that Nimbus Cloud!"

                Korin smiled.  "Go ahead!  Jump on and take however much you want, be my guest."

                "So does that mean that the Nimbus that Master Roshi gave me?"

                "Mmm hmm.  I gave it to him when he came here."

                "Wow!  Cool!  Thanks!" Goku jumped atop the cloud and pulled out a puff about the same size as his previous cloud.  "I'll take this much!"

                "Are you sure you can fit on such a tiny cloud?"

                "Uh huh!  Hey Yajirobe!  You wanna come?"

                "Are you kidding!?  I don't feel like Dying today.  I'll pass."

                "Okay!" Goku hopped atop his new cloud and zoomed off.  "Wee!!!  Haha!  Okay Piccolo!  Here I come!"

                After watching Goku take off, Yajirobe turned to the cat-person next to him.  "So, can I have one too?"

                Korin snorted a choked laugh.  "Hehe, something tells me I don't think you would be able to ride it even if I did give it to you.  So no, sorry."

~~

                Chaotzu fought from within the grasp of a giant crystal of ice.  "Mmmmmh!  Mmmh...  HAAAA!!!!" Surrounded by fire, he shattered his frozen prison and sent a red-hot blast-wave outward.

                "Ah good!  You have sufficiently mastered your energies.  Now for the final leg of your training."

                "Huh?"

                Alex smiled almost a bit like Piccolo, beaming of confidence.  "You have mastered the use of your attack energies.  Now you only need to learn to properly use your _other_ energy."

                "What energy is that?"

                Alex smiled down her nose.  "Psychic.  The energy that you specialize in."

                Chaotzu was a bit confused, and could only manage to blink before he was suddenly cringing noiselessly.

                'Once we're finished here, he can join the battle with King Piccolo.'

                A dull purple glow lit the area as Chaotzu calmed, and the forest fell silent.

~~

                'Now, let's get going.  The West Terrirories are waiting for me to destroy them.'

                Before loading his airship his attention was caught by a passing aircraft.  "What is that?"

                "PICCOLO!!  STOP THERE!  YOU'VE MET YOUR MATCH NOW!" Tien shouted at the Demon King from the seat of his aircraft.

                Piccolo crossed his arms.  "Well, it didn't take long for the first suicidal fool to show up."

                Piccolo's attendant, Piano, nodded her long pointy head.  "The world's full of them."

                Piccolo chuckled.  "Fine, I'll take a moment for him.  Make an example of him for my subjects.  I'll put his shredded body on live TV for all to see."

                Floating quickly to the ground, Piccolo landed and looked back up to the flyer.  "Come on down, I'll make an exception and play with you today."

                Tien began muttering to himself.  "Happy, aren't you?  Well, enjoy your castle while you can.  Because soon this electric rice cooker will be the only home--!!" Looking at his rice cooker, he noticed something he had passed up before.  "Ah!  It's cracked!  I'll never be able to seal him with this!"

                Drum and Haito (the human fighter) came out of the palace and took their places beside Piccolo.

                Sneering up toward the jet-plane, Piccolo taunted out.  "Well?  Have you lost your nerve?  West City is waiting for me to destroy it!"

                "My master, might I be allowed to fight the fool?"

                Smiling, Piccolo looked to his newest lackey.  "Perhaps if I grow bored with him I'll let you finish him off.  But for now, I've promised him my time, so I am obligated to do this personally."

                Tien dropped the rice cooker with a grunt.  "All right, I'll just have to fight without the Evil Containment Wave."

                Calmly, yet quickly, Tien floated down to the ground.

                "Ha!  You can fly, eh?  So you're not half-bad.  Sadly, it is your martial artists pride that means your death."

                Tien snorted slightly.  "You haven't won yet, even with all those beside you."

                "Hey Drum!" Another voice rang out from somewhere to the side.

                As everyone looked in the direction of the call, they saw a redhaired girl standing confidently no more than twenty meters away.  "So?  Drum, is this that girl?"

                "Yes, shall I kill her?"

                "Yes."

                "Yes, my master." Drum zoomed away after the girl.

                "Now, let's get started!  HA!" Piccolo launched after the three-eyed one.

                "HYA!!" A foot, launched by an orange blur, knocked the demon king off his intended course and into the ground.

                "Goku?"

                "HYEAH!" Ranma blocked a thick fist just above her head with seemingly minimal effort.

                "You know, your brother was far better off than you are..."

                Drum looked flabbergasted.  "Wh-what did you say?"

                "He had those blades to keep me from hitting him... you don't have that... do you?"

                Growling dangerously, Drum launched an uppercut heading for Ranma's jaw.

                But Goku blocked the kick headed for his face.  "Piccolo, you've hurt too many people.  I WON'T let you leave here!"

                Haito smirked in the direction of Tien.  "Well, fighter.  It looks like it's just you and me now, eh?"

                'Maybe I can get another electric rice cooker while they're distracted...'

                "En Gaurde Freak!"

                "FREAK!?  Why you!" Running up to his new target, Tien launched a vicious uppercut for his gut.

                Haito dodged to Tien's left and sent a roundhouse kick into the small of his back.  "Is that all the world champ can do?  Really, it almost makes me wish _I_ had entered the competition!"

                Ranma jumped to her left to avoid Drum's ground-breaking punch, and spun around him in rather graceful fashion, landing a powerful side-kick to the middle of his back just between his shoulderblades.

                Drum got off the ground and glared at Ranma. "Ugh... why you!"

                "Oh shut up!  You aren't even worth my time!  MOKO TAKABISHA!!" A white hot blast of energy erupted from the girl's outstretched hands and engulfed the ball of blubber.

                But Piccolo missed.  'What?  How!?'

                "HYAAA!!!" Goku hit Piccolo in the head yet again, sending him to the ground.

                But Haito wasn't done yet.  "DRAGONBREATH!!" Putting his intertwined hands forward he shot out a stream of red-hot energy at his opponent, which continued to flow until Tien stopped it by throwing a semi-large boulder at him.

                "RRGH!!" Haito melted the boulder with his energy wave, but he didn't see the fist heading his way from the side.

                Sprawled out on the ground, Haito barely saw Tien as he floated into the sky.  "And now!!  TRIBEAM!!! HAAAAA!"

                "AAAHHH!!!" Scrambling quickly out of the way, Haito managed to avoid being crushed into, and through the ground, as a square hole roughly the size of the Tournament arena opened up right where he had been sprawled out only moments before.

                "Okay.. that didn't kill him like the other one, but it did make him mad." As Drum kept coming down on Ranma, she kept retreating.

                Until she stopped with a vicious smirk.  'Perfect...' "HIRYUU SHOTEN HA!!" Punching a screwpunch into the sky, she used Drum's anger against him, using it to fuel a horrendously large tornado that launched him into the sky.

                A youthful voice called out to him. "TIEN!!"

                "Chaotzu!  What are you doing here?"

                "I'm here to help you, Tien!"

                Tien looked at the white kid-person beside him, smiling a bit, but still worried for his safety.  "Well, there's no need, I have things under control."

                "Well, just the same, this is what I have been training for." Chaotzu was suddenly surrounded by a bright white light.

                As Tien watched, the light seemed to focus in Chaotzu's stomach, and then he couldn't be seen at all.  "CHAOTZU!!!!!!"

                Stunned by the sight of seeing Chaotzu disappear like that, Tien didn't have the mind to move out of the way when the small ball of light came after him, enveloping him in its white light.  "AAAHHH!!!"

                {Tien!  It's me!}

                {Chaotzu!  Where are you!?}

                {I... I'm inside you, Tien.  That's why I was training, so that I could give you my strength.}

                It was true, the fire in his limbs, it didn't hurt.  Rather, it felt... incredible.

                "Look, I don't know what you are, but you're finished!!  DRAGONBREATH!!"

                As Tien stood there, caught in the headlights, Ranma prepared for Drum to come down atop her.

                "Hehehe... your brother was almost useful, you know?" Pulling out a long blade-like thing from the back of her shirt, she held it with the point ready to impale the obese monster.

                "Ahhhh!!!  No!" Calling up all the strength he could, Drum managed to steer himself out of the way of the point of the blade.

                "Haha... HAHA!!!" Drum crawled up to his hands, almost surprised that he had managed to avoid that deadly point.

                He looked down and noticed that he was bleeding green fluid.  Looking at his stomach, he saw a blanched blade piercing his stomach.  "B... but..."

                "Oh shut up already!" Coursing the blade to the side, Ranma cut the demon in half right at the stomach.  That shut him up fairly quickly.

                "Feh, demons, go figure... Okay, now for the boss."

                The red-hot energy was heading right for him!  Tien couldn't stop it, or even dodge in time!

                'Is this it!?'

                {HYAA!!}

                A thick sheet of ice seemed to coalesce out of the white fluid-like energy that surrounded Tien.

                Tien was shocked and surprised.  "W-was that... magic?"

                {No Tien.  That's what I've been training for!  While I'm here, I can make you stronger, and protect you at the same time.}

                "Okay then!  Let's get on with this!" Tien flexed his arms and faced the motionless Haito.  "Now to see what you mean..."

                As Haito began to re-think his decision to join Piccolo, he found that Tien was too fast.  It was like seeing someone live through a bomb-raid and then simply disappear!

                "AHH!!" Haito felt a focused pain in his back as Tien found a target there, and launched him far into the distance.

                As Haito flew away, barely realizing that he wasn't on the ground anymore, Tien looked at his hand.  "Did I do that?"

                {We did that, Tien.}

                "Hehe, Piccolo, here we come!" Tien looked over at the green demon and started after him.

                Piccolo was rather nervous.  He had never been faced with even _one_ warrior who could contest his power.  But now he was surrounded by _three_ of them!

                "Hey, you're Goku, right?"

                "Yeah, that's my name!  What's your name!?"

                "I'm Ranma Saotome!  Killer of the Phoenix God Saffron!"

                Tien blanched.  "You killed a god?"

                "Well, yeah.  But he didn't give me any choice!  And besides, he'll be reborn again in a few years anyway..."

                Goku blinked a few times, trying to let this information sink in.

                Tien stood stock-still, unsure of what to think of this new girl.

                Piccolo thought it might be a prudent idea to start gathering his full power.

                Ranma noticed this and turned to him.  "But hey, do you think I can fight him alone for a little while?  I haven't had a really good fight in forever!"

                Goku was shocked!  "What!?  Really that long!?"

                Ranma sweatdropped.  "Not forever forever!  Just a really long time!"

                "... oh.  I knew that."

                Tien blinked, unsure of what to think of Goku's reaction.

                "RRRRAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!!!!!  STUPID MORTALS!!  I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF!!!"

                Ranma looked thoughtful.  "Now where have I heard that before?"

                Piccolo was infuriated!  He had had enough of these mere _humans_ facing him down!

                THERE WAS NO LONGER ANY ROOM FOR MERCY!!

                Launching at his redhaired opponent, he attacked, intent on the kill.

                ~~~~~~***   Evil Cliffy Alert   ***~~~~~~

                Haha!  There's the chapter!  Chapter 2 finished!  Finished with chapter 2!

                Well, that's it till next time.  And next time is the fight in earnest!

                Until next time,

LATER


	3. 3, 2, 1, FIGHT!

                [Grabs bag of popcorn]  Well, I'm all ready, how about you?

                I'll give you a few seconds to get ready.

                In the meantime, I will say that I don't own either of the manga/anime's I'm writing about here, I can only see the characters in my head and say "Wow, that looks cool!"  O.o

                DARN OWLS!!!  Wait, me again.  My bad.  .

                ...

                ...

                ...

                ...

                Back yet?  Good.

                   3, 2, 1, FIGHT  

                Ranma launched herself off toward the green one to meet his attack head on.

                "Hahah!  You should have taken the help of your freinds!  YAA!!"

                "Whatever.  YEAHH!"

                **CRASH**

Between the two their fists met, creating a slight shockwave that expanded.  Although in Ranma's case, it was actually about fifty hits compressed to an instant.

                "AAHH!!" Ranma fell backward, propelled that way by the fact that she was lighter than the great green one.

                Blinking twice, she stood up.  "Okay, he hits a lot harder than that Drum guy."

                Piccolo continued the assault and was on Ranma almost immediately.  "Whoa!"

                "STAND STILL!!!" Piccolo was getting frustrates while Ranma was dodging every strike and blurring a bit in the process.

                "Hey!  She's pretty good!  Haha!" Goku appeared to be having a bit of fun, and was apparently anticipating fighting this new girl.

                "Hey... you guys, AUGH!  Can jump in... Yee!  Yikes! Anytime now!"

                'Come on Chaotzu!"

                "NO!  YAAGHHH!!!" Piccolo threw out a tremendous blast-wave of energy, knocking the two closest to him down.

                But Goku was still standing.  "YA!!!"

                "AH!" Piccolo took yet another hit to the head, but used his hand to flip back to his feet just as Ranma's foot landed right where his head had been.  (A/N: His head _is_ a pretty big target... .)

                Growling menacingly, Piccolo launched a bolt of energy out of his mouth, which fount its target in Goku's chest, knocking him back a ways.

                Tien let out with a massive punch to his chest, backed by a load of white energy that burned the symbol off of his shirt and singed his green shirt.  "AAHH!!  You!"  Lashing out with his claws, he caught the cuff of Tien's pants, recieving a kick to his elbow for the trouble.

                "MOKO TAKABISHA!!" Jumping backward, he avoided a white ball thrown by the skinny one, but was caught in the back by Goku's Kamehameha.

                "AUGH!!!  RAGH!!!" Like a trapped animal, he became more and more dangerous with every passing second.

                He was ready to try anything to save his skin.  But three on one!

                He had to find a weakness...  "AUGH!!" Purple blood flowed from a fresh cut on his forehead, having just barely avoided being fried by a lightning bolt thrown by the three-eyed one.

                But he got a sharp kick in his back for his trouble.  "RRRRGHHHH!!!"  Looking around, he looked for anything that could give him an advantage.

                Seeing something promising, he sneered.

                Running off in a seemingly random direction, his run was matched by the equally foot-quick redhead.

                "Oh master!  Not this way!  Please!?"

                "HAA!!!" Piccolo didn't stop, not even when he ran through the wall of the building.

                Piccolo's pterodactyl assistant pulled her head off the ground, looking at the hole in the wall with a sigh.  She was afraid that her master might try to use her in the fight!

                She wasn't made for that!

                All three of the warriors frowned, waiting for Piccolo to come back out.  Goku took the initiative and called out to him.  "COME OUT, PICCOLO!  WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"

                Piccolo came out of the building slowly, chuckling darkly and holding both hands behind his back in a calm gesture.

                "There you are!" Goku was about to jump at him, ready for the kill.

                "Hold it right there!" Piccolo held out in front of him what he had hidden behind his back.

                "LET GO OF ME, MONSTER!!!" The former King of the world struggled in his grasp, dangling there helplessly.

                "Goku, don't do it!"

                Goku stopped suddenly, seeing Piccolo's free hand at the King's neck.

                "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!  JUST TAKE HIM OUT!  DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!"

                Tien seemed to be fighting himself.  "Goku, the Dragonballs won't work anymore.  The Dragon has been killed and can't grant any more wishes!"

                Ranma suddenly blanched slightly.  "Look, wishes or no wishes, I don't want anyone not involved to get hurt.  Let him go, Piccolo.  This is our fight, not his."

                "Oh!  But I don't feel like letting go of my ticket out of here." Looking at his beak-nosed assistant, he nodded toward Tien's plane.  "We're going."

                Tien visibly calmed, dropping his aura.  "Fine, just don't hurt him."  {Girl, be ready to catch the King.}

                'Girl' barely responded, except to look at Tien, who didn't look happy.

                "Oh, I don't plan on it.  Not for now, anyway.  Now, we're going to go now, so you can just stay right here."

                Ranma noticed something in the direction of Piccolo and gasped.

                This action was enough to stall the Demon King.  "What's wrong with you?  I know this is a breath-taking outcome, but I think you're a bit late."

                Ranma didn't get the chance to say anything before the ground started rumbling.

                "What?" The ground beneath Piccolo's feet suddenly lifted in a dome-shape, and suddenly exploded in a bright white light, throwing the Demon King back and forcing his grip on the King to come loose.

                "Ha!" Ranma jumped into the air and caught the helpless man as Chaotzu came flying out of the hole he had made with his energy.

                Goku turned on the green monster with a determined look.  "Monster!  Using people as a shield!"

                Piccolo floated in the air a few meters off the ground, looking teasingly down on the people down there.  "Haha, and what do you think you're going to do about it?"

                Goku prepared himself for his attack as Ranma landed.  "KA..."

                'What's he gonna do?  He's already used that once.  Which means that he's already seen it.  Hmm...'

                "ME!!!"

                "HA!!  I know just how to deal with this!" Piccolo began surging energy into his arms, preparing a deadly blast.

                Tien saw it coming first.  "GOKU!  WATCH OUT!  HE'S GOING TO HIT YOU FIRST!"

                "HA!!!"

                "Not if I can help it!  ICE!!" Chaotzu grabbed onto Piccolo's feet and encased his body in a giant block of ice.

                Only his head was free.  "Rrrgh..." 'This is it, unless I can break free.'

                Chaotzu fell to the ground.  "Quickly!  Before he breaks free!"

                "ME!!!"

                The frozen prison was already cracking open as Goku spoke the final word.

                "HA!!!!!!!" Turning around, Goku blasted his attack behind him, launching himself forward at tremendous speed.

                "WHAT?" With a shocked look on his face, Piccolo finally freed himself from the ice coffin and managed a last second block from the on-coming punch, which was filled with white-hot energy.

                A bright light filled the area and all spectators of the final attack had to cover their eyes.

                Goku was floating in the air behind the Demon King as Piccolo cringed, his hands broken and his stomach punctured.

                In a last-ditch effort to live on, he created an egg, which he spewed powerfully into the distance.  "Live on... my son, and take... my revenge."

                With his essence gone and his energy suddenly freed, his body began to deteriorate.  As his blood boiled, acid began to flow around his body freely and eat at his flesh, creating heat.

                This heat built up until, finally, his body couldn't take it anymore.

                **BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!**

                The Demon King was gone, and they had won.

                Ranma looked down at her passenger.  "Hey, King, you okay?"

                Tien smiled wispfully as puffs of smoke suddenly filled his vision.  As his strength drained from his muscles, he fell over, asleep.

                Chaotzu floated down to the ground, and joined his friend in dream-land.  The two of them were feeling extremely drained right then.

                Goku landed roughly on the ground with a smile.  Fighting against the pain of the landing, and a few cuts Piccolo had given him, he stood and walked over to the others.

                Seeing Tien and Chaotzu on the ground, he smiled knowingly.  They had to be tired, they had fought really hard.  Seeing the King safe with Ranma, he smiled again.  "Hey, we won.  But who are you anyway?"

                Ranma smiled as she stuck her nose into the air.  "Just another fighter who saw a good fight here and took it."

                Goku blinked twice in quick succession, and then fell to his knees, and then to his back.  "Oh, okay.  I'm gonna take a nap now..."

                "You wasted a lot of energy on that last hit, didn't you?"

                Smiling good-naturedly, Goku laughed a bit.  "Hehe, yeah.  I wanted to make sure he wouldn't get away."

                "THE GREAT DEMON KING PICCOLO IS NOT DEAD YET!!  Didn't you see that egg of his?  My master is still alive in that egg!  And he will come back to kill you!  Just you see!"

                Ranma frowned deeply and called up a shining aura of energy, which gave her voice an echo effect.  "You know, I don't want to kill innocents, or even most villians, but you shouldn't even be here, so I could kill you right here."

                A quick shuffling sound saw a girl in a blue gi appear just in front of the beak-nosed one.  "She's right, you know.  If things had been just a little different, you would have died in the first fifteen seconds of fighting between just Goku and Piccolo.  And the result would have been the same anyway." Her calm voice came seemingly without regard for the momentous battle that had just taken place.  "But, there's no reason to have you dead if you default.  Give your loyalty to the King of this world, that way, if he ever _does_ take the throne again, then you would be under him again.  But if he didn't, then you would have fewer people out to kill you, right?"

                As Ranma sat wordlessly, Piano, Piccolo's most trusted advisor, nodded and made her decision.  "Kill me."

                "Huh?" Ranma was shocked by this statement.

                "Why?"

                Piano shook her head.  "I'm sorry, but I cannot go against my master Piccolo.  Even if he were dead, then I would rather join him in death."

                Alex nodded her head and picked up one hand to strike her.

                "WAIT!"

                **Crack!**

                Eyes and mouth open wide, she fell to the ground, despite Ranma's pleas.

                "W-why?  Why would she just want to die like that?"

                Alex, the odd, god-like girl, shrugged.  "That's one of the things that loyalty does for you.  You would rather give your own life than go back on that loyalty.  But don't worry, she's not dead, I only knocked her out."

                Ranma blinked as she looked the taller girl in the eye.  "So... what do you plan on doing with her?"

                Alex lifted the motionless form over her shoulder.  "Well, she says that Piccolo is out there somewhere, so I'm going to put her out there too.  She can fend for herself, and perhaps find her master too.  If she does, then she's his problem."

                "And if not?"

                "Well, that's her problem, isn't it?"

                As the taller girl left through the air, the King started up.  "Well now, I've been rude.  Please, allow me to show my hospitality.  And also to give good news to the world!"

                Ranma smiled.  "And would you happen to know where to get some hot water?"

                King was confused, but laughed.  "Hohoho!  Oh yes, I think we can find some fairly easily!  But why would you need hot water?"

                Ranma sighed.  "Trust me, it's a long story.  For now, I think they need that 'hospitality' more than I do." Ranma pointed over his shoulder at the forms lying on the ground just as Goku began moving.

                "Ugh, I can move, but I could really use... something to eat."

                Ranma then said something equally intelligent.  "Hey!  I could use some food too!  Sushi please!  Or maybe some Ramen?  Aw, forget that, _one of everything!!_"

                "Yeah!  That sounds good!"

                "Oh Ho!  Hohoho!  Of course!  Let's go!  I'll get some of the guards to help these other two inside!"

                Ranma helped Goku into the palace, allowing him to drape his arm on her shoulder.

                Tien opened his eyes to the sound of a general milling about of several people.

                One voice stuck out above the rest.  "People of the world.  I have an announcement."

                King smiled proudly.  "Earlier, my place as King was contested.  Well, just a little while ago today, the former King Piccolo's place as King was contested, and won.  Piccolo has been eliminated and I am again free to take my place as King.  West City, and all the provinces of the world, are safe from his hand." He swore he could hear their cheers as this news was relayed to them.

                The King gestured for Ranma and Goku to come up beside him, which they did.  "It is because of these brave warriors, and two others who could not appear here, that our world is safe once again.  And in light of this, I plan to give them our highest honor."

                Both warriors at each of his sides blinked in confusion.  "What's that?"

                "Is it food?  I'm still hungry..."

                A worldwide crash was heard as people all over the world heard this question by their new savior.

                "Yeah!  That sounds great!  When do we eat?"

                **CRASH!**

                'Man, what is it with this world?  Does the whole world shake suddenly for no reason?' Ranma thought to herself.

                King picked himself off the ground and addressed first the girl.  "Uhm, yes.  But first, do you think you could tell your name to the people of the world?"

                "Huh?  Oh yeah!  I'm Ranma Saotome!  And I'm The Best!" Swinging her arm around Goku's shoulder, she put her fingers out in a 'V for Victory' sign.  "Right Goku?  The _Best!_  The _Best! _The _Best!_  The _Best!_"

                Goku looked confused at first, but then joined in the chant.  "The _Best!_  The _Best!_ The _Best!_  The _Best!_ The _Best!_  The _Best!_"

                "But I thought _I_ was 'The best'?" The camera turned around to reveal Tienshinhan sitting on the edge of a red couch.  "I am, after all, the one who won the tournament, if you remember..."

                Goku laughed happily.  "Yea, I remember.  You beat me fair and square!"

                Ranma scratched her chin.  "There was a tournament?  Darn, and I missed it!"

                "Oh hohoho!  Now shall we get on with the ceremony?"

                Blink Blink

One who could eat an army's worth one who has made Speed Eating into an artform = O.o  Yikes...

                The ceremony was somewhat uneventful, except that Tien had to take his medal in hand, as he had no shirt.  He also took Chaotzu's medal, as he was still very much unconscious.

                After this was finished, the promised meal was presented to the fighters.

                "Mister King, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into..." Tien smiled in the King's direction.

                "...?"

                Ranma heard Tien say this and looked up at him.  "Why do you say that?  Oh wait one sec, let me get changed."

                Grabbing a nearby teapot, she brought it in close and, as those present nearly fainted, she poured it over herself.

                Immediately, she became a he.

                Goku was fascinated.  "Hey wow!  Is that magic!?"

                "Yeah!  How'd you know?" Ranma swung his head back and forth, flinging the water out of his now raven-black hair and beating his own head with his pigtail.

                "Wow!  That's cool!" Goku's tail waved happily as the two of them got a good laugh from the whole thing.

                As the food finally came into the room, Tien formed a rather large sweatdrop as he watched the two fighters across from him slap their hands together and look hungrily at the food.

                "Oh wow!  Food!" Goku was practically drooling over the food.

                "Ohhhh maaaannnn!!  Look at this!" Goku was already snarfing his food like some kind of crazed vacuum cleaner.  Seeing this, Ranma was left speechless for a moment.  And then he smiled.  "Y'know, Goku, you're doing it all wrong!  If you want to get in as much as possible, you're going to have to straighten out your throat and breath with your arms.  Like this!"

                At a rate that was possibly faster and more ravenous than even Goku, Ranma began to devour the food from the table, which seemed to be mysteriously disappearing.

                Goku watched Ranma 'work' for a few moments, and then copied him.  'Wow!  He was right!  This _is_ better!'

                Tien was absolutely shocked.  He had only heard stories of Goku's appetite!  He had never actually seen it in person!

                Alone, that was bad enough, but this other guy was just as bad!  They were both inhaling their food at an incredible rate!

                He was so taken by their eating that he failed to notice that his own plate was disappearing as well.

                Patting his stomach, Ranma leaned back.  "Ahhh... wow!  That was great!" The table was picked clean, even every plate present was cleaned off.

                Goku smiled as he licked his chops.  "Hey!  Is there any more?"

                "More!?  Goku!  Could I have finally found someone with a bigger appetite than me!?  Haha!  Cool!" Ranma was practically in hysterics over this, as Goku scratched the back of his head.

                Tien looked down at his plate as the King waved for the cooks to make more food.  "Hey, what happened?  Where'd my food go?"

                Ranma smiled at him knowingly.  "Hehe, sorry, but you weren't eating it or even guarding it, and old habits are hard to break.  I could give it back, but I don't think you want it...  Hehe!"

                Tien turned slightly green at the suggestion.

                "All right!  More food!" This time, Tien managed to get some into his stomach.  But only after learning that Goku had copied more than Ranma's snarfing techniques.

                "Tien?  Where are we?" Chaotzu floated into the room rubbing his eyes.

                Seeing what was going on at the table, he began hovering there wordlessly and motionlessly.  He didn't even take his hand down from his eyebrow as he watched, entranced by Goku's eating prowess.

                'I think I was better off asleep...'

                Tien managed to get his friend to come back to Earth just as another came into the room.

                Blinking, the girl smiled.  "Oh!  So the feast has already started, eh?  And I suppose this is the second or more serving?"

                Tien blinked in surprise.  "Yeah, how'd you know?"

                Smiling, Alex pointed at the table.  "Three things.  The table's full.  Ranma's finished eating already, and Goku hasn't started slowing down yet.  You know, I kinda wondered how those two would get along at the dinner table...  I guess now I know." Smiling like a proud mother, she looked at Ranma knowingly.  "So you taught Goku the fine art of 'Speed Eating' huh?"

                Ranma laughed as he put his hand behind his head.  "Oh!  Yeah, I gave him a few pointers!  But I think he still has a bit to learn though 'cause I could get food straight from his plate and he never even noticed!"

                **Drip, drip...**  Large beads of sweat were hitting the floor already.

                Goku stopped mid-swallow, having noticed Ranma's last words.  "Fffou fid?" (You did?)

                "Oh yeah!  Wanna see?" Ranma pulled out a pair of chopsticks and clicked them together as Goku nodded.

                He then lashed out on the table, tapping here, there, and all over.  Each tap saw another piece of food disappear.

                But Tien didn't even see any of this, but he did notice that about half of the food previously on the plate just in front of Goku suddenly disappeared while Goku was still staring toward the middle of the table.

                "Impressive... you followed my chopsticks!" Ranma held the chopsticks up, showing all the different foods clasped between them.  "But you missed my hand!" He showed his other hand, which was also loaded with various pieces of food.  Smiling proudly, he threw them in the air.  "But you can have them, I'm already full!"

                Goku grabbed each piece of food straight out of the air and continued on his eating frenzy with new respect for the guy across from him.

                Alex smiled as she stood in the doorway.  'It looks like they've bonded!  I suppose Korin can wait until they're finished...'

                   End of Chapter 3  

                Hehe, that's it!

                So... yeah.  That's it!  Um, nothing much else to say.  So, till next time, kay?

PS: Please look at my bio!

Alex Ultra: Creator of Eternal Realm

                LATER


End file.
